Month: June 2013

The video below is all about pairing wine and cupcakes, yes cupcakes! Husband and wife Bill McGuiness and Claudia Arimendi, owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge should know. They take cupcakes to a whole new level: dark Belgian chocolate, Madagascar bourbon vanilla, sweet butter cream, 50 flavours, hand iced. As if their cupcakes weren’t enough on their own (and they are), we talk about how to pair them with different styles of wine depending on the cupcake flavour. Have fun with friends and a tasting party. Natalie: Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge takes cupcakes to a whole new level. Think dark Belgian chocolate, […]

These are the reviews the LCBO published in the Vintages Catalogue from my tasting notes, the most quoted Canadian source of wine reviews in this release. Full Members can access all 97 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my complete tasting notes, scores and food matches. You can also see a sneak peak my reviews for the July 6 LCBO Vintages Release. Full Members can access all 68 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my full tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. […]

Welcome back the BBQ! As the mercury continues to climb, I’m starting to shake the remaining winter chill out of my system. I was looking for menu inspiration to transition out of sweater weather into BBQ season and found this wonderful idea. This simple recipe for Grilled Canadian Feta Skewers is quick, easy, and will give you a break from the stuffy indoors. Along with being a colourful addition to summertime meals, these skewers are made with savoury Canadian Feta – a refreshing break from traditional BBQ recipes. A great wine that goes well with barbequed flavours is Miguel Torres […]

The true definition of a snob is someone who craves what separates people, rather than what unites them, according to writer John Buchan. So true when it comes to wine. Fortunately, a bargain-priced wine that’s tasty, like this shiraz, can bring most of us together around the table. Cheers, Natalie The true definition of a snob is one who craves for what separates men rather than for what unites them. – John Buchan – See more at: http://www.nataliemaclean.com/blog/wine-quotes-and-quips-liquid-laughter/#sthash.WXQwRU7I.dpuf Sale Ends: June 23, 2013 Sale Price: $13.95 | Save: $2.00 (Usually $15.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Fifth Leg Shiraz Australia Terrific lush […]

The true definition of a snob is one who craves for what separates men rather than for what unites them. – John Buchan Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. – Ralph Waldo Emerson No man enjoys the true taste of life, but he who is ready and willing to quit it. – Lucius Annaeus Seneca Taste is the common sense of genius. – Victor Hugo Beauty fades, but dumb is forever. – My Grade 5 Teacher Here’s the previous round of wine quotes if you’re thirsting for more.

This news story ran in the print and online editions of leading newspapers across the country, as well in more than 50 regional papers. The article was written by a reporter with the Canadian Press (CP), and so this was not our distributed press release. We’re thrilled that it warranted such wide news coverage. You can also read the first story that another Canadian Press reporter wrote about the launch of the wine competition. OTTAWA – Oenophiles from coast to coast have waged a little friendly rivalry over wine pairings and come up with half a dozen of their favourites. […]

Leanne and I chat about the winners of The Great Canadian Wine Match, including how thousands of Canadians engaged in the intensely competitive voting for the best Canadian wines, representing almost every winery across the country. Find out why a robust red from Nova Scotia pairs well with beef, how Prince Edward County showed strongly in all categories and how several Canadian flagship wines can be enjoyed all the more with a simple dish, slice of pizza or cheese. Here’s a shopping list of the finalists to taste your way across Canada. Indeed the people have spoken, and who are […]

Here’s my column in the Huffington Post about the winners of The Great Canadian Wine Match. I also profiled the finalists in each category in previous columns. I’ll be featuring the nominees and finalists of the next wine match this fall that will feature both international and Canadian wines under $25. Stay tuned! Posted with permission of the Huffington Post.

When we decided to make reservations at Atelier Restaurant in Ottawa, we discovered that we’d have to wait several weeks for a Friday evening reservation. Such is the popularity of this award-winning restaurant that specializes in molecular gastronomy, and is one of my favourite restaurants in this city and across the country. I had written a profile of the superb sommelier Steve Robinson several months ago for Ottawa Magazine, the sister publication of Toronto Life. Now it was time to revisit and try the new summer menu with Steve’s pairings. It was spectacular, with whimsical dish names like “You’ve Got […]

Here’s a little story about the power and reach of social media … it started with food blogger Anne Waters who was shopping in the LCBO and noticed one of my wine reviews posted on the shelf. Physical world, paper review, glass bottle, liquid wine. That’s where it would have ended three years ago. However, Anne took the Instagram picture above with her smartphone and shared it on Twitter. (The Bila-Haut M. Chapoutier 2011 is a robust red wine that’s perfect for summer barbecues … you can’t beat the price-quality ratio at 91 points for $14.95.) I forwarded Anne’s tweet […]

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BIOGRAPHY

Natalie MacLean

Canada's Most Quoted Wine Writer

Natalie MacLean is editor of Canada's largest wine review web site, publishing hundreds of wine reviews every week for more than 160,000 members. She was named the World's Best Drinks Writer the World Food Media Awards in Australia.

Natalie has published two books with Random House, the second was named one of Amazon's Best Books of the Year. Get access to all of her reviews today by becoming a member of her site.